Cushioned-gear drive



Feb. 24. 1925.

I. M. UPPERCU ET AL CUS HI ONED GEAR DRI VE Filed May 20, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' ATTORNEY ,remita Petra,1925:. o

#itam UNITED. STATES' PATENrori-uca. y

INGLIsM. Urrnacrr, or. naar.,y am) aoLAND cinLToN, or Impar, NEwJEnsEY, i`

, AssIeNons To Annonanmn PLANE a Moron coMrANmfin-c., A conronarron l F NEW YORK. i

To all whom z't may concern: 1 Be it known that we, INGLis M. UPPERCU, a citizen Aof theUnited States, and a resident of Deal, in the county of Monmouth and 6 State of New Jersey, and ROLAND CHILTON, a subject of the King of England,`and a resident of Keyport, in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, have in` vented. certain new and useful Improve- .inents in CushionedGear Drives, 'of which the following is a' specilication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

he present invention relates to improvements in gear drives for the transmission of rotary power and especially contem lates a form of gear' which shall be sui able to drives which are subject to shock loads 'due to violent fluctuations in the driving torque or to other conditions. The connection be-y tween the crankshaft and the propeller of an aircraft engine is an instance where such conditions occu'r and accordingly the embodiment of ourl invention shown in, the

` drawings represents a cushioned gear drive and associated parts suitable for use as vthe propeller reduction gear on an aircraft engine. v

In such en nes'the propeller acts as the Ey-wheel an experience has proved that the means of attachment between this inember and the crankshaft must be capable of transmitting many times greater torque .than the mean output of the engine. This condition arises from' the extremely impul.

sive nature of the torque -delivered by an explosion engine', the instantaneous maximum ,of which is greatly in excess ,of the` mean. This condition is reatly aggravated-when torsional periods ci shaft are encountered.v Thisoccurs when the torque impulseslon the cri'iiik-sliaftI synclironize with the natural period. of torsional vibration of that member. 1f-This inherent. period is a fixed function of-tho massaging* torsional elasticity of the shaft, and 'whenj such synchronism or resonance with..` the' working impulses is set up,`the amplitude of vibration 'becomes cumulative, 'which resul'ts in extreme] destructivel stresses on the crankshaft an its ropeller connections.

These torsional vibrations cause, violent cy-v .out such vibrations, is one o resonance in the crankv.The modulus of elasticity of a go cUsmoNEn-emn Dawn. l Appuauon nieaixay aogim. serial no. 714,603. l

clic angular accelerations at tthe. anti-iiywheel?end-ofthe-shaft, .which have a very destructive effect on any accessories `or driv- `lng means that may be attached to that end ofthe shaft. Such resonant vibrations are I the source of the principal loads to which a reduction ear or an aircraft engine is subjected an a non-resonantfcoupling between tlie propeller and the ar, to dampenethe features of this invention.

A crankshaft of steel when stressed within its elastic limit is virtually a perfect] elastic structure.A That is to-say, it v wil give up when recoveringfrom 'deflection `all the .energy that was put in to produce that deiiection, which is the property that v.gives the shaft its natural vibration period. There are, however, materials which when-defiected do not immediately return all the energy which was. put into them. Rubber is-an example of such non-resonant material. Under distortion this substance exhibits considerable` internal Ifriction amounting, in certain Vgrades to about 30 per cent of the work done in producing a given deformation, which is the reason for the rapid damp-V ening-out of any vibration which it is attempted to set u in this material.

It'will be un erstood that the torsional I 'vibration of a crankshaft is the result of a reaction between its massand that of theu fly-wheel, or propeller to which it is attached. This invention contemplates the attachment of the propeller` to the crankshaft by means of an intermediary of nonreso nant character, with the` object of dampeniIi-out these torsional resonances.,

teel springs have been used inthe rior art with'a viewfto cushioning the sh the drive. mechanism.k

s on Where substantial deflection under relatively great torque is contemplated as. in t the I resent invention, such springs become very eavy and they d o not-fpossess-the `inherent dampenng-actio'n due to internal friction which is one of the function of the de of the strength o the material eglployed.

`objects .here aimed at. It should be under `stood that the amount of material'that must be employed in aA device of this kind is a ee of safe deflection and i grade .v

of rubber, for example, is of the order of 300 expressed in unds and inch units, while the correspon ing figure for spring steel is between the engine and'its propeller.

s driving member, a

30,000,000 a ratio v100,000 times.

Iachieved by using bevel in favor of rubberl of The safe strength of steel, however, is considerabl greater than that of rubber giving a resu tino energy absorbinglcapacity of rubber of ftiom 500 to 1,000 foot pounds per pound of weight, whereas spring steel 1s only capable of absorbing from 10 to 20 foot lpounds per pound weight, thus illustratingit e resulting from t eextremely eat extension ca acity of materials like ru ber.

the prior art, spur type planetar gears have been used to effect a speed re uction Such ars have the advantage of distributinglthe oad over several planet pinions whic .is

very desirable-in 'view of the extremely high loads encountered in this service.

Planetary gears having the annulus as fixed sun wheel and the planet cage a'sfthe driven member, have lbeen used. The reduction ratio in such gears is afunction of the relative sizeof the annulus and the sun wheel, which relation fixes the relative size of the pinions when the spur gears of the prior art Aare used. Unfortunately, for the .ratios `most useful in aircraft engines, diiculties are encountered because the pinions `become of excessively small diameter, with the result that these necessarily small pinions revolve Vat high speed, causing excessive wear of the pinions wlule the space available and their bearings, for these bearin becomes very limited. It is one of the prlmary objects` of this invention to overcome this deficiency, which end is pinions in place of the straight spur type,` diameter, which does not afect the ratio, is rendered independent of the size of either the sun wheel or the annulus, and can accordingly be made as large as is desired from consideration of strength and rotation speed requirements. v

In the prior art, compound planetary reductions have afford increased inion size.` In this type each lanet mem r consists of 'two gears, of di erent size, onel meshing with the annulus and one withthe sun gear\,which construction is used in an endeaver to overfcome the fdiiiiculties experienced due to the small pinion sizes associatedwith the simple planetary arrangement. The compound gears, however, havethe disadvantage of bein relatively long,heavy and complicate which defects it is one of the purposes of this invention to overcome. Y

yIn planetary reduction gears in general, either the planet cage, the sun wheel or the annulus may be fixed. In th'e first; case, the

reduction ratio is the ratio between the large is obtainable great saving 1n weight whereby the pinion.

been resorted lto in order vto vnearest the sun gear fixed, and the annulus driving, the largest theoretically obtainable ratio 1s 2 to 1, which would involve infinitely small pinions,while with praticable size of pinions 11/2 to 1 is about the greatest ratio that without resorting to compound reductions. 0n the other hand, with the sun wheel as the driver and a fixed annulus, the least ratio that could be obtained is 2 to 1, on the basis of infinitely small pinions and with practicable size of pinions about 3 to 1 is the smallest ratio. There is thus a lfield of speed ratios between 1% to 1 and 3 to l1 where the spur type of planetary reduction gear'is not practicable, except in the 4compounded form. The ratios needed in aircraft use fall largely between the figures cited and it is one o'f the objects of this invention to provide a non-compounded form of planetary gear which may'have an 'desired sizeof pinion even at the critica 2 to 1 ratio for which the straight spur type is impossible since the pinion diameters would '9 be zerol l In the case ofthe well-known spur types of planetary gears where speed ratio does permit the pinion diameter to be suilicient to afford adequate space forthe pinions and their bearings, and to keep the rotational speed of the pinions down to moderate figures, it is found. hat there is usually only room for three pinions.

tages of the planetary ty e of gear is in the inereaseof strength resu ting-froma multiplicity of pinions and it is one of the objects of this invention to utilize this fgatureto its fullest extent to which end a larger number of pinions than possible withthe spur type of gear is contemplated. YInthe showing, six pinions are indicated, and inspite of the fact that these pinions are of much' larger diameter than would he possible in the spur type of gear, the special disposition featured as a part of this invention affords am le space for such a number.

he added strength due to a multiplicityof pinions is onl realized in f ull if each takes its-shareof oad. Under practical conditions it is diicult, if not impossible, to fabricate' the parte so accurately that this shall occur.l Also experience has shown that deflections in the structure often occur tending to throwjall the load on 'one or a few pinions. This invention includes special means to insure the even distribution of the tooth load over the several pinions, in defeat of distortion of the'partsI and despite possible inaccuracies in fabrication and assembly.

Withthe Astructure typified in the drawings, experience has shown that lateral detlections of the end of the crankshaft and of the housing can be expected, with the result that the end of the shaft may not re- One of the' advan- :pensas i main' normal to the lplane ofl the fixed loads.

lay

. riving ear," whilst r.= The driving'gear being attached to e sima win and to. desea with it andl adjustment whereby the parts' can be assembled and adjusted so as to get an equal at each. pin-ion.- Theadjusttooth. bearing ing means of the pinions are preferably anchored to-a ring which is permitted to float in the radial sense, by which construcwhich t e driven therefrom by ing r'e atively light material suc 40.

tion the pensated maticall pinionsare automatically comasto end thrust,`and will all autoassume that radial position in tooth pressures are balanced.

In vplanetary gears in general, the cage or spider carrying the pinions is usually diiiicult of fabrication, when steel isfthe materialkemployed, and which has generally been found necessary in the typesv of cages used in the prior art. This invention proposes a newand improved design of cage and associated. parts and a special disposition of pinion bearings within the cage, whereby this member is relieved of most of load and can accordin 1y be made of as aluminum. Tothis end the driven member, or propeller Vhuh quill `in'this specific showing, is made to surround one end of the cage, bein v a splined or toothe connection, b whic construction the cage is relieved of urst-ing stresses., The anchorage of the pinion thrust means to a lioating ring within the cage is a further. step inthis direction since the cage-is in this 'way re'- li'eyed of all burstin pressure due to the axial lthrustdf the pinions.

By this means and by journalling the pinions directly' inA bearings in the planet isis the necessarily V`cesses. The carrier-is commonly the cage, instead the `pinions the p anet cage becomes of very simple and rugged form disru tive forces. The,y planet member ma aoco mgl be made of light allo whic can be easily 'formedby casting, e ectin'g 'a marked econom in'cost as compa'red with steel by relatively-elaborate machinin prowith an individual axial of d relatively elaborate shape, and 'therefore the drivrif-fabricating thismember as a, spider with spindles for the support of.. by bearings internal thereto;

and is relieved of the major,-

-' direct `drive member substituted the 'reduction gear drive.

. ighl stressed s ider t L; which must be fabricted from high tenggii est one ot the objects of this invention is to piece inthe' epicyclic type of gear and render practicable the use' of aluminum or similar licht-and easily fabricated alloy for this member.

Accordingly, i

one 'of the principal objects of l,this inventi on istev provide a simple planetary reduction' gear wherein relatively large pinions can be used, even in a gear 7b' where the desired ratio gives'only a moderate difference "between the diameters 'of\ the sun and planet wheels. In this wa the high pinion speeds and therestricted pinion l ariug space associated with the' spur tpe of direct planetary reduction are avoide Another object of this invention is to provide a suitable gear drive of such'construction as to eliminate the shock and torsional. vibration which is usually transmitted from the driving to' thedriven parts due to violent fluctuations in the driving 'torque or to other conditions.

A further object of this invention is to provide a suitable drive as betweenan engine and its pro eller and ofsuch Eclinstruction as to ermit of the same being readily converted om a reduction drive -to a direct rive.

To these and other ends, the "invention consists in certain improvements and the aty combinations and arrangements of parts, all

as will be more fully hereinafter. described, the features of novelty being pointed out particularly in the claims atithe end of the specifications. Y

In Vthe drawin Figure 1 is angitudinal section of the cushioned gear drive .and its associated parts, said section being taken approximately at the center.

Figure 2 is a fragmentarsectional view taken on the line 2-2 loo ing inthe direction as indicated by thev arrows.

Figure 3 is a fra entary perspective view of a serrated ringof yielding inaterial.

Figure 4 is avertical section of-a inion :and its' associated parts on an en arged scale. f

Figure 5 is a fra entary view section taken on t e line 5-5 o Fig. 4, looking in the direction as indicated by the arrows but on a smaller scale than Fig. 4. Figure 6 is a detail view of a oatin ring to which are secured the pinion a justing bolts.

-F'gure 7 is 'a longitudinal sanit ofv a Partly in With referencefto the drawings particularly to Fig. 1, 9 designates a of an engine "crankcase carrying a ring in Pfla'ceof ortion 11 'in which 'is journalled 'acranksliaft 12.

Rigidiy attache-d is the crankses as by screws 10 lis a fixed/housing i3 'in which ist' . 4supported a by a bushing 19,

Y fullyl described -end of the crankshaft is 15 is suA ported by the 4bearing 14, said propeller s eeve being provided witha radially extending web portion 16 which is in turn provided with an annular inwardly extending toothedportion 17 The crankshaft is extended as at 18 and supported bv a bushing 19. Thus the gear rigidly supportedat the points 11 and 19. p

The outer end 15'l of the propeller sleeve 15- is supported on the crankshaft extension and on this portion of the sleeve there is supported in a relatively rotational manner a propeller hub 20. The propeller hub is provided with a radially extending flange-portion 22 having a series of annularly disposed serrations 23 thereon.

A driving gear or annulus 24 having a lull)y portion 25 is drivably secured to-the crankshaft by splines 26 (Figs. 1 and 4) and held against axial motion thereon by the flange 27 on one side and a nut 28'on the other. Secured on .the Lhub 25 b a nut 29 is a thrust bearing 30 which is o the radial type. y Engaging the outer race of the bearing- 30 is a sun gear 31 having a series of splines 32 (Fig. 5) adapted to interlock with corresponding portions on an annular mem ber 33 secured to the crankcase 9 by the bolts 34. The sun gear 31 is so mounted as to permit of it having limited angular movement relative to the axis of the Acrankshaft although it remains fixed in a rotational sense. The pur of this will be more ereinafter.

Mounted in a rotatable manner about the hub 250i the annulusi24, is a pinion cage 36, said cagebeing partly disposed between the annulus 24 and the sun lgear 31. A clearance is provided as at 35' between the i hub 25`and the pinion cage so as to permit the cage to ,tloatvradiallv about the hul The pinion cage is provi ed with a toothe portion 37-meshing with the toothed portion 17 ofthe web 16 which is part of the propeller sleeve 15. It will be seen that the annular toothed portion 17 encircles the pinion vcage and` provides a substantial stren -henin lmeans therefor. B means of a s iding t between the teeth 1 and 37, assembly of the gear `drive is facilitated, since the propeller sleeve and all its associated parts includingbthe housing l13 canbe removed in an assem led relation by the removal of the screws 10 which secure the housing to the crankcase. This'withdrawal '-ofthe heus;l ing 13 with the propeller s'leeveand associated parts exposes the reduction gear assembly which can also be removed vas a unit from the crankshaft by unscrewing the nut 28. In the present instance the pinion cage is formed o f two parts and transverse y divided on the p'l 'on axis cone indicatedby line 41 of Fig. 5;

bearing 14'.A A propeller sleeve 'ing ring. 52. In

Y matically compensated propeller videdwithl toothed With reference to Fig. 4 there is mounted in the pinion cage 36 a plurality of bevel pinions 38 having teeth 39 meshing with both the annulus 24 and the sun r 31, and of which integral journals 40 t into the bushings 41 secured in the pinion cage. The thrust of the pinions is taken by a ball thrust bearing, one race 43 of which, abuts a suitable shelf 44 in the pinion bore 45, The stationary race 47 of this bearing is adjustably supported by a flange 48 formed on a nut 49, and the nut is screw-threaded on an adjusting bolt 51, which is secured in a floating ring member 52'by 'a head 53. To insure that the pinion will follow out when the adjusting nut is retracted a s ring 54 is inserted betweenthe shelf 44 an the `{loatthis manner a; delicate adjustmentis providedi for a uniform initial mesh of all the pinions.

l The floatin ring 52 to which in this instance thea justing bolts v51 are anchored is provided to insure equal distribution of tooth load between the pinions, said ring v52 surrounding both the crankshaft and the hub 25and being provided with ample clearance as srt-56 to permit thesame to float in a radial sense whereby the pinions are autoas .to end thrust, and all will be permitted to automatically assume that radial osition in which `the tooth pressures are alanced.

As hereinbefore mentioned the sun gear 31 is adapted -for lateral oscillation due lto the spline connection -32 and the self aligning type of bearing on which 'the ar is mounted. Also as has beenmentione the pinion cage has some freedom of motion radially to compensate for such possible misalgnment ofthe arts which may result from a deflection o the driving gear or annulus 24 previously referred to.

icc

With reference to Figs. 1 and2 an annular Y member 57 havino serrations 58 is secured to the propeller rliub flange 22 in spaced apart 'relation by the bolts 59 and the spacing member 61, and an annularly formed driving ramber 62 is secured to a portion of the proptealler sleeve 15 by the screws 63, said mem r 62 having a series of serrations 64, 66, formed on either side thereof. t

A -pair of yieldable rings 67, 68 -prortions, 69 (Figs. 2 and .3) and preferab `fabricated of soft rubber are disposed tween the driving member 62 and the ilange 22 on one side, and the driving member and the annular member I57 on the other side', in almanner Ydriving en agement' by thefbolts 59. f -A propeller 'Z1 is secured to the hub 20 bythe bolts 72, which pass through suitthe rings 67, 68 act as able openings in the liange '22 vand end plate 73.

' The embodiment above described comprising in part the yieldable rin'gmembers constitutes the non-resonant feature of our invention and it will be. understood that the shock absorbing elements between the en ine and the-propeller. Rubber is thoug t to be the best material in a coupling of this kind for suppressing torsional vibration, for the reason that it has a large hysteresis loop. That is to say, it does not instantaneously return in recovering from a deection all the en ergy that was put into it, which is the reason for its deadening action, although other material may be used that has similar properties. ln this manner we obviate the impacts due to the inevitable back-lash in the gear teeth and materially reduce the impulsive torque conditions otherwise encountered. Whereas in the present'instance a pair ofsuch rings are shown and described it has been found that a single ring of such construction can be employed in some instances to great advantage. Also where 'a pair of such members are employed it may be found desirable to fabricate one portions shown in the vapproximately to a ratio of1.8 to 1 and it of them of material than the other.

In Fig.` 7 there is featured a direct driving memben-M, which can be attached to the crankshaft by the splines 2 6 in lieu of thereduction gear assembly when a direct drive is desired, it being remembered that the reduction gear assembly can be removed as a unit from the crankshaft as hereinbefore mentioned.

The operation of the first described device is -as follows: The planet pinions 38 are in mesh with both the fixed sun wheel more or less yieldable 31 and th(` annulus 24 -which latter is rotatcd b v the crankshaft or other power shaft. The pinions are thus given a planetary motion and drive the pinion cage 'through the pinion bearings therein. The pinion cage in turn drives the propeller sleeve 15- through the meshed tooth connection 17, 37. The drive is transmitted from the propeller sleeve 15 to the ropeller 71 through the yielding serrated riving rings 67, 68, b v means of the propeller drivin 62. B v this construction a yiel ing drive adapted to eliminate the shocks associated lwith a rigid driving connection between 'the gears and the propeller is obtained.

With reference to drawings corr nd will be-seen that the driving ar is the largest one inthe system. Also y the utilization of bevel gears, room Ais afforded for a relatively large number of pinions. six being shown in the present disclosure. Thus the tooth pressures for thetransmission of member the gear ratios, the pro,

engines they are also the cause of4 failure, 1n other types of drives as, where a pro' peller is directly connected with an engine crankshaft and accordingly the scope of this invention is not limited to the use of a non-metallic cushioning means in the case of geared engines alone.

It is obvious that the present construction may be used in connection with drives for purposes other than that described and shown.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention and portions of the improvements may be used without the others.

Having thus described our invention, we claim,

1. In a pinions, individual thrust bearings for each. pinion associated with arigid floating rin to which all the pinions are anchored ten ing to .equalize the thrust pressure amongst the pinions in defeat ofr inaccuracies of the parts.

2. In a planetary gear, a non-rotatable bevel gear and a driving bevel gear mounted on a-.common axis, planetary pinions drivof. a planet carrier ofrelatively light material. a propeller driving member of rela.- -tively strong material having -an annular portion encircling the planet cagefor the strengthening thereof.

pinion carrier, a driven member including a peripheral disconnectible drive transmitting portion encircling-said carrier whereby said carrier is strengthened and may accordingly be fabricated from a relatively ,light material.

6. Ina' planetary reduction gear, a planet cage, radially disposed bores in the cage for the support of p anet pinion journals, circumferential driving means on ythe cage adapted to engage a driven member for rotation with'the cage, the cage structure being so organized as to possess` solid material be'-- pinions and bearings which' low rotational-speed.`

gear having planetary bevel gear from its normal plane of A 110 4. In a reduction gear, the combination 5.' In a planetary reduction gear, a planet l lao.,

tween the circumferentially adjacent bores and between vsaid bores and the engaging p means set forth.

I tilting integral journals and each. meshing with l the'gea'rs set forth,

` tudinally adjustable bevel pinions equalization of a cage having bearings for the support of the pinion journals, an extension on the drive shaft, a tubular mem- 'ber mounted for rotationv upon said extension and drivably connected to the cage.

8. In a reduction gear drive comprising a plurality of radially disposed pinions meshing with .a fixed 1gear and a driving gear, a floating means to which all 'of said pinions are secured said means adapted to permit compensating axial motion of said pinions for the ualization. of tooth pressures between sai pinions and said gears.

9. In a reduction gear drive comprising a plurality of radially disposed pinions j neshing with a fixed gear and la .driving gear,- a means manually operable for the individual longitudinal adjustment of said pinions in combination with fioating means tovwhich all pinions are anchored to permit compensating axial motion of said pinions for the tooth pressures between said pinions and said gears.

10. In a reduction gear drive comprising a plurality of radially disposed pinions meshing avith a fixed gear and a driving. gear gear, a means manually operable for the individual longitudinal adjustment of said pinions in combination with a floating element to which said adjusting2 means are anchored said Heating element adapted to permit compensating axial motion of all of said pinions for the equalization' of tooth pressures between the meshingv portions.

11. In apparatus of the 'class described, the combination with an engine having a shaft to operate a driven means. of a unitary assemblage of speed reducing planetary gears adapted to be attached to said shaft between the engine and the driven and a unitary assemblageof non-reducing -drive elements interchangeable with the first said assemblage. l

12. In a reduction gear drive, the combination of, a. cage, a plurality of longirotatably7 supported in the cage, a fixed gear, a. driving gear having a hub portion, mesh with both the driving and the gears, a inion thrust ring surrounding the hub portion and ada ted for radial motion, a retaining member or each of said pinions .all of said' retaining members secured to v said pinion thrust ring.

13. In a reduction gear drive,

the combination of, a` ca e, a plurality of-lon'gitudinally adjustab e supported vin the cage, a driving gear havbevel pinions rotatably Vbetween the pinions said pinionsin fixed.- Y.

against rotation and adapted to have relative angular movement tothe axis of the driving ear, pinions in mesh with both the rivil'g'and the sun gears, a pinion thrust ring member surrounding the hub portion and adapted to movetransverscly thereof, a. retaining member. for each of said pinions all of said retaining members secured to said pinion thrust ring.

14. In a gear drive of between 1' and 3 to 1 reduction comprising a cage disposed between a driving gear and a yfixed'sun gear, more than five non-compounded planetary gears rotatably mounted in said cage and meshing with both the driving gear, and thefixed sun, gear.

'15. In a planetary gear drive, the combination of, a planet cage, pinions in said cage, a driving gear, and a rotationally fixed gear, said rotationally-fixed gear adapted r oscillation relative to the axis of said drivin gear. d 16. n a planetary gear drive, thefieombination of a drive shaft, a driving gear cured to thel shaft, a pinion cage mounted for rotational movement around the shaft and transverse movement' of the shaft. a rotationally fixed gear ada ted for oscillation relative to the axis of t e shaft, pinions mounted for rotation in the cage and meshing with both the drivin gear and the fixed means for the individu zl longitudinal adjustment of said pinions, rigid an element common to all ofthe pinion a justing means and adapted ,for limited movement transversely of the shaft for the automatic adjustment and equalization of tooth pressures j and the meshing gears.

17. In a planetary gear drive, a drive shaft, a driving gear secured to the drive shaft. a sun gear provided with engaging portions. a fixed member having engaging portions meshing with the engaging portions of the sun gear in. a manner so as to permit said sun gear to oscillate .whilst restrained against rotation, a planet cage, a plurality of pinions rotatably mounted in said cage and in mesh with both the driving gear and the sun ar, means within the pinions for the individual axial adjustment thereof, and an annular member surroundingthe shaft 'and adapted for lateral movement, theadjusting means of all the pinions anchored to said annular member.

- 18. In a planetary reduction gear having pinions disposed between a. Vfixed and a driving gear, a annular oatingV means to which all of the pinions are anchored for `the automatic axial adjustmentand equaliza-l tion of engaging tooth pressures between thev pinions and said gear.

19. In a planetary gear drive. a drive shaft, a driving gear on the shaft, a relativbly fixed gear secured to a easing,

endl

fions in the bearings,

rber within mareas driving and fixed gears formed of ferrous material hi h in tensil strength, a planet cage formed of relatively lig t aluminum alloy, pinions rotatably supported in said cage and meshing with the driving and the lfixed gears, and a driven member engaging the periphery of said cage said driven member so formed as to oircumferentially support said cage;

20. In apparatus of the class described, a planet cage having bearin s radially aligned 1n pairs, each pair space apart for the reception of a bevel pinion, and bevel pinions having integral journals adaptedto run and to be longitudinallyr adjusted inrsaid bearings.

2l. In a reduction gear, a planet cage having radially disposed pairs of aligned bearings, pockets at each pair of bearings, bevel pinions disposed therein and having integral journal portions adapted to run in the bearings set fort-h.

22. In a reduction gear, a driving bevel a cage adapted planet in combination, gear having a coaxial sleeve, to rotate 'about the sleeve, pinions supported "in the cage said pinions ,having journals integral with the tooth portion, and means on the cage for detachably eng g a driven member.

A23.111 apparatus of the-.class described, in combination, a driving' shaft, a planet cage, a tubular shaft mounted-for-rotation on the driving shaft and drivably connected to said planet ca e,- a ixed \bevel gear, a bevel gear carrie bythe shaft, planetary pinions in the cage said pinions meshing with the iixed bevel gear and the bevel gear carried by the shaft, and rubber shock absorbing means for driving a driven means from said tubular shaft.

24. In a. planetary gear, the combination of a cage, bearings therein, pinions having hollow journal portions adapted to be sup` ported in sai-d bearings, a thrust member 1n each of said pinions. all of said thrust.

Vmembers secured to a ring member, aball thrust bearing in each pinion, and means on the vthrust members for adjusting the axial location of the thrust bearing.

25. ln combination, a bevel planet pinion having 'a hollow journal, a thrust -bearing within said hollow journal, bearings for the exterior support of said journal, and a mem` the journal adapted for the axial adjustment and location of said'thrust bearing, a member adapted to move relatively to said pinion supporting bearings and to which said adjusting member is secured.

26, A reduction gear including a plurality7 of planetary bevel pinions, acage having bearings in which said pinions are supported, hollow journals for the support of said pina thrust bearing within the hollow journals, and a means within each of the journals for the individual axiallocation and adjustment of said thrust bearings and pinions, all the last said means anchored to a common Hoatin anchor ring.

27. ln the art o? vibration in a. shaft, a yielding driving connection between an elastic 'shaft and an attached driven mass, and means for trictionally damping the yielding of said drivingconnection so disposed between the shaft and the driven mass as to be subject to dietortion in shear upon relative motion bctween said shaft and lsaid mass.

28. The combination of an elastic shaft` a rotatable mass -to be driven therefrom, yielding driving means between the shaft and the mass, andfriction means for damping said yielding means comprising a member so disposed as to be subject to shearing distortion under said yielding and made ot material having a high internal frictional resistance to said distortion.

n 29. In. av driving mechanism, a pinion longitudinally adjustable in its bearing, com! prising a toothedbody portion having integral journal portions on either side, said body and journal portions having an axialpassagc therethrough, means in said passage adapted Ato engage both the pinion and a floating anchor member exterior of said pinion in a manner to permit and to control relative I longitudinal movement between the pinion and its bearing.

30. In apparatusof-the class described, in combination, 'a propeller drive shaft, a propellertherefor, bearing means for main taining the propeller in axial alignment with the shaft, similarly toothed rings on the propeller and'on the driveshaft; respectively, and annular yieldable .members having teeth adapted to drivably vengage the rings set forth.

31. In apparatus -ot thejclass described` -in combination, a propeller drive shaft, a propeller therefor, bearing means for mamtainin the propeller in axial alignment with t e shaft, similarly toothed'rings on the propeller and'on the drive shaft respectively, and annular yieldable members disposed between said rings said members and having teeth adapted to drivably engage the rings set forth, and means for restraining the separation of the said toothed rings.

32. The combination of a propeller mounted for partial rotation upon a drive shaft. a coupling comprisingV similarly toothed members rigid with the propeller. a toothed driving member rigid with the drive shaft, a yieldable 'annulus between the driving` member and each of said toothed members and adapted to drivably engage the same. means for imposing axial pressure and frictional resistance on the coupling in a manner so as to prevent the axial separation of said) toothed members.

33. In a propeller drive, a drive shaft, a

suppressing torsional ela las`

Etas

lil@

` propeller mounted for rotation thereon, in

combination with a torsionally iexible driv- -ing connection of non-resonant material between -said 4shaft and) said -pro eller, and means for imposing an axial t rust upon the driving connection to prevent separation thereof. l

34. In apparatus of the class described2 in combination, a shaft, a propeller, bearing means therebetween for supporting said propeller in a'xial alignment `with said shaft, a driving coupling of yielding material be'- tween said shaft and pro eller, and friction means acting in restraint of said yielding for the suppression of torsional vibrations and including a high internal frictional. resistance characteristic in the material comprising said coupling.

35. In a' planetary gear drive, the combination with an engine having a drive shaft, oelanetary bevel gears adapted to effect a uction in speed, a member driven from the drive shaft by means of said gears. a carrier in which said gears are mounted, said carrier and gears forming a removable unit mounted on the drive shaft, and means-fV interchangeable with said carrier and adan" cd to form a non-reducing drive. 36. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, an engine, a crankshaft, a propeller supported on the crankshaft, a speed reducing mechanism mounted on the crankshaft between the en ine and the p ropeller and comprising a -xed sun gear, a driving gear havin a sleeve portion secured to the cranks aft,.a carrier, a plurality of bevel pinions rotatably mounte' in the carrier, saidpinions in mesh with both the fixed-sun gear and the drivingJ gear, the carrier'provided vwith means to drive the propeller, said reducing mechamsm as lset forth formin a self-contained unit removable as such' om said vcrankshaft.

37. In a speedv reducing mechanism, a

' self-contained unit comprising a xed sun longitudinally of their axes,

gear, a drivin gear having a sleeve poi'- tion, a rotata le carrier, aplurality ofv pinions mounted for rotation within the carrier, means -for adjusting the pinions i said pinions in mesh with both the sun gear and the driving gear, said unit adapted by means of said sleeve portion to be mounted on a shaft and to form a driving connection between the .shaft and a driven means. y

. 38. In a driving mechanism between a driving and a driven means, a shaft, a selfcontained unit on the shaft formingv a re'- ducing drive and comprising a fixed sun gear, a drive gear, a thrust bearing between the sun gear and the drive gear, a-rotatable carrier, pinions mounted'for rotation within the carrier said L plilnions in mesh with the fixed gear and the 've-,gear and 'adjustable v the sleeve,

ldrivin d vother means associated mames longitudinally of their axes, means on the carrier to engage the driven means, and other means interchangeable with said selfcontained `unit adapted to' form a direct drive between said driving `and driven means.

39. In apparatus of the class described,

the -combination with an engine having a drive shaft, of a sleeve rotatable on said shaft, a propeller mounted for rotation with a direct driving connection adapted to be secured to said shaft in a manner so as to drivably engage the sleeve,

and a speed reducing mechanism contained in .a carrier, said carrier interchangeable with the direct driving connection and adapfed to drive the propeller at a reduced s ee ,40. In apparatus lof the class described, the combination of a rotary driving element and a drivenv element, said driven element adapted to have ai pro elling member attached thereto, a gear xed to the driving element, a stationary gear, a carrier rotatably mountedv on the driving element, a connection between the carrier and the driven element, a plurality of planetary beveled inions having bearings in said carrier an in meshing engagement with the stationary gear and the rive gear in 'a manner so as to drive and to effect a reduction in speed between the driving and the driven elements, said carrier and said; pinions forming a self-contained removable unitz a means interchangeable with said carrier adapted to form a non-reducing drive, and

ment to form a non-resonant driving connection between the driven element and a propelling member.-

A 41. In a non-resonant reduction drive, the combination of a stationary case, a'high speed drive 'shaft extending into said case, a stationary gear, a drive gear having a sleeve portion secured to the shaft,'a carrierA rotatable about the sleeve portion,

planetary` gears rotatable inthe carrier an with the driven ele-l ios coacting with said stationary gear and drive gear, means' for longitudinally adjusting the planetary gears, said gears being disposed at anv oblique angle tothe axis of the drive shaft, said carrier and planetaryV gears together with the stationary gear and the drive forming a unita gnear remova le as suchrfrom the rive shaft, a

thrust bearing adapted to prevent axial separation of the stationary and the drive gears, a propeller sleeve rotatably mounted on the drive shaft and drivably connected to the carrier, a thrust Abearing for the propeller sleeve, rated flange portion said hub mounted for relative rotation on the sleeve portion, a propeller secured.V to the hub, a se' member secured to the propeller hub en@ assemblage Y iis ias a propeller hub having a aerand spaced therefrom, a. serrated driving member disposed therebetween and secured to the propeller sleeve, a .pair of yieldable members having serrations one of said yieldable members disposed between the said serrated Han e and the driving member and the other isposed betweenthe driving member and the serrated member so .as to form a non-resonant driving connec- 10 tion, a means adapted to cause axlal pressure on said driving connection, and av igned at Keyport in the county ot Mon- 15 mouth and State of New Jersey this 16th day of May A. D. 1924.

INGLIS M. UPPERCU. ROLAND CHILTON. 

